Free Images to Download for a Website
One of the problems many people have when starting an online business is finding free images to download for a website. On this page I will provide 25 links to website directories of 100% free, Creative Commons Zero (CC0) & Public Domain (PD) licensed pictures and clip art, no attributions required.
A picture is worth a thousand words
Rachel is like my little sister
When you build up your website content it is always important to use images for both a better User Experience (UX) and Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Photos and clip art will help your website visitors to stay better interested in your content.
Many times when you want to get a point across, using an picture can help you do that. Look at it this way. When you go up on a website and all you see is text and no images, do you get visually bored of what you are reading? But if there were a photo or two, you may just be more inclined to keep reading.
People are more visual by nature. The sense of sight is extremely powerful and it is why advertising on TV converts more than advertising the same product on radio. When a person sees a picture, especially when relative to the subject matter they more than likely will stay and read.
Pictures on Google are not free to use
When you are using 100% free images, also known as Public Domain or Creative Commons Zero licensed pictures, you cannot only freely use them, but you can customize them with text or even use only parts of the image. Basically you have free rein to do with them as you please.
But why is it important to use these types? Why can’t you just go to Google images and copy any picture you see there? Because for the most part those images are not free to use. Unless it has a license that says it is free to use, you can get in trouble and even sued if you use a photo that is not free.
So to make things easier for people to use pictures for various commercial mediums such as advertisement and naturally website content, photos that have a license such as the two kinds I mention above, are the types of images that should be used in order to save you from any legal action.
These are the types of pictures I always use
When it comes to website design I like the creation process to be as trouble free as possible. I follow this same process when it comes to selecting pictures for use in my website content. There are two things that must pan out before I consider using the image. They have to be free and no attributions required.
I love sushi and it made for a festive picture before I ate it
I want to know that the pictures I use, though free, will not require me to give any type of credit to the original creator of the image. It is not that I do not want to give credit where credit is due, it is because if I have to keep searching for the licensing information, this will take extra time away from the creation process.
So when I search for websites that offer free images, I always make sure that the ones offered are under the Creative Commons Zero license, and/or say Public Domain. If the website says only Royalty Free, this does not mean that attribution is not needed. The websites listed below are all CC0 and/or PD.
Totally FREE pictures and clip art images for your website
Below are 25 links to photo and clip art website resources that are 100 PERCENT FREE TO USE and there is NO attribution required. I personally use some these resources to find images for all of my website content, training tutorials, and blogs. I will list these in the order of my favorites being first.
1. PIXABAY (CC0) – Note: DO NOT select images on Pixabay that have the “Shutterstock” watermark
https://pixabay.com
2. PEXELS (CC0)
https://www.pexels.com
3. SKITTERPHOTO (CC0)
http://skitterphoto.com
4. GRATISOGRAPHY (CC0)
http://www.gratisography.com
5. PUBLIC DOMAIN FILES (PD)
http://www.publicdomainfiles.com
6. STOCKPIC (CC0)
http://stokpic.com
7. TRAVEL COFFEE BOOK (CC0)
http://travelcoffeebook.com
8. STOCKSNAP (CC0)
https://stocksnap.io
9. MY STOCK PHOTOS (CC0)
http://mystock.photos
10. CLKER (PD)
http://www.clker.com
11. UNSPLASH (CC0)
https://unsplash.com
12. PUBLIC DOMAIN ARCHIVE (PD)
http://publicdomainarchive.com
The view from my window during winter 2013 in New Jersey
13. NEGATIVE SPACE (CC0)
http://negativespace.co
14. LIBRE SHOT (CC0)
http://libreshot.com
15. CUPCAKE (CC0)
http://cupcake.nilssonlee.se
16. FREE NATURE STOCK (CC0)
http://freenaturestock.com
17. RESPLASHED (CC0)
http://www.resplashed.com
18. PDPICS (PD)
http://www.pdpics.com
19. PICOGRAPHY (CC0)
http://picography.co
20. PICKUP IMAGE (PD)
http://pickupimage.com
21. SNAPWIRE SNAPS (CC0)
http://snapwiresnaps.tumblr.com
22. LIFE OF PIX (PD)
http://www.lifeofpix.com
23. JAY MANTRI (CC0)
http://jaymantri.com
24. LITTLE VISUALS (CC0)
http://littlevisuals.co
25. HUNEY (CC0)
http://huney.co
Again, it is really important to look at the pictures you are thinking of downloading on these free image resource websites. One of the ways these websites will be able to make money is to offer more premium images that you will have to pay for before you download them. Most times these images will be clearly marked with a watermark.
What you should know about CC0 & PD
As you can see in that long list of links to different, totally free pictures and clip art, I list either a (CC0) Creative Commons Zero or a (PD) Public Domain after each website name. Why did I do that? Even though both CC0 and PD images are free to use, there is a slight difference between the two.
An M42 Duster Anti-Aircraft Tank in front of Teaneck Armory in Teaneck, New Jersey
When an image is in the Public Domain it is free to use in any way needed and without restriction under copyright law. However copyright laws are different in various places around the world. So in order to put that one stipulation to rest and make it public domain “worldwide” Creative Commons Zero was created.
According to Wiki/Creative Commons, “CC0 is a public domain dedication that allows copyright holders to place works in the public domain to the extent legally possible, worldwide.” This is why I prefer CC0 just a little bit more than PD, though I do use both as is noted with my number 5 pick above.
Get visually creative with your website & blog
Remember to give your website content some pizazz by visually enhancing it with images. No one will want to read your content if it is nothing but words. When it comes to free images to download for a website, the above list should give you more than enough to help you find what you are looking for.
Taking your own photos are also a great way to know that the pictures are free to use. For example, all of the photos used on this page I actually took myself. So I know firsthand that I took these and if I should ever see these being used on another website without my permission I would have every right to complain.
Images are important to keep your website readers engaged in your content, and in many cases to help you convey your message to them. Remember, a picture is worth a thousand words, so make sure to use them when at all possible and have them be relevant to the overall message of your content.
To learn more about building an effective website and making money with it, make sure to check out the free training at Wealthy Affiliate University. Also make sure to check out the other free information I have on this website. But if you have any comments or questions you would like to ask now, just leave them below.
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